Poems by Lee, Hye Seon (Prepared Angela Kosta)
Moderator 
POEMS BY Dr. LEE, HYE SEON - SOUTH KOREA
Poetess Dr. Lee, Hye Seon graduated from the Korean language and literature department of Dongguk University and obtained a doctor of literature degree from Sejong University. She has taught at several universities including Dongguk University. She made her debut in 1981 through the monthly literature Magazine ‘Simunhak’. She writes poetry and literary criticism. She has won Korea Free Literature Prize, Modern Poet Prize, Dongguk Literary Prize, Korea Literary Critics Association Prize (in criticism).
She has published 3 books of poetry including One God, 3 collections of criticism including Metamorphosis of Literature and Dream and Famous Poems Promenade by Lee Hye Seon.
Her early literary trend was based on the sense of history. Rooted in Korea’s traditional emotions and the Buddhist spirit, her poetry demonstrates a strong sense of identity formed by the meeting of temporality and the sense of collective national awareness. Her more recent poetry celebrates cosmic perceptions and an awareness of the transcendental world, undifferentiated sympathy for universal existences including close neighbors, and a world of beautiful rainbows emanating from self-reflections.
IN THE FOREST VILLAGGE
In the forest, trees gather together and live.
Under the big trees, small trees.
Under the small trees, charming little wildflowers.
Sprouting and stretching their stems, living together in harmony.
In the forest, trees gather together and live.
Big trees hold the hands of small trees.
Small trees lift the seated wildflowers.
Blooming and smiling, living together in harmony.
As soon as you enter the forest, the sunlight smiles.
The stream exposes its lower body and laughs too.
In the forest, laughter blooms each season.
In the forest, even tears bloom into flowers.
……………………………………………..
숲속 마을에는
숲속에는 나무들이 모여 산다
큰 나무 밑에는 작은 나무가
작은 나무 밑에는 귀염둥이 풀꽃이
싹 틔우고 줄기 뻗어 어울려 산다
숲속에는 나무들이 모여 산다
큰 나무 밑에는 작은 나무가
작은 나무 밑에는 귀염둥이 풀꽃이
싹 틔우고 줄기 뻗어 어울려 산다
숲속만 들어가면 햇살은 웃고
아랫도리 다 내놓고 여울물도 웃는다
숲속에선 철마다 웃음꽃 핀다
숲속에선 울음도 꽃으로 핀다
NON-DUALITY*, LEANING ON EACH OTHER
While driving on the highway,
I saw a mountain leaning on a tree.
I saw a tree leaning on the sky.
While sailing the boat,
on the way to Cheongsan-do,
I saw water leaning on droplets.
I saw the sky leaning on a seagull's wing.
The earth leans on seeds to bloom,
and a mother's breast grows as it leans on her baby.
At dusk,
I saw weeds in the field leaning on each other’s shoulders.
On those shoulders, mayflies had settled down,
falling into a deep sleep.
*Non-duality: A world without discrimination and differentiation. From the perspective of interdependence, you and I, existence and non-existence, life and death, beauty and ugliness are fundamentally interconnected as one. The relationship between the one and the many is essentially non-dual, existing within a web of relationships.
……………………………………………..
불이不二,* 서로 기대어
고속도로 달리다가
나무에 기대고 있는 산을 보았다
허공에 기대고 있는 나무를 보았다
배를 타고
청산도 가는 길에
물방울에 기대는 물을 보았다
갈매기 날개에 기대는 하늘을 보았다
흙은 씨앗에 기대어 피어나고
엄마 젖가슴은 아기에 기대어 자라난다
하루해가 기우는 시간
들녘 끝 잡초들이 서로 어깨 기대는 것을 보았다
그 어깨 위에 하루살이들 내려앉아
깊은 잠 들고 있었다
*불이不二: 분별이 없고 차별이 없는 세계. 너와 나, 있음과 없음, 삶과 죽음, 미와 추가 다르지 않고 근본은 하나로 연결되어 있다는 연기론적 관점. (하나와 나머지 여럿의 관계는 근원적으로 둘이 아니며 관계의 그물망 속에 존재한다.)
Prepared Angela Kosta Executive Director of MIRIADE Magazine, Academic, journalist, writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, translator
